advice needed for a salty sweater!

[freckles]

Greetings friends! My name is freckles. i'm a beginner in the backpacking world. i've gone on about 7 overnight trips, most of which i didn't even have my own gear. i've got my own gear now, and love my pack. i went backpacking last wednesday thru thursday and ended up severely dehydrated by the time we were off the trail on on our way home. (nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue.) i was out of commission for a couple days. I live in so. california so the conditions were pretty hot and dry and i sweat WAY more than the average person. 

for those of you who sweat A LOT, how do u guys stay hydrated? electrolytes, right? 

i feel like i have hit a brick wall and maybe backpacking might not be for me...which makes me really sad because i really do enjoy it. i also feel a little clueless and weary of going into a store and getting the wrong thing or the wrong advice. i know a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now...and I'm ok with that!   

thank you in advance

[Gary M]

Greetings friends! My name is freckles. i'm a beginner in the backpacking world. i've gone on about 7 overnight trips, most of which i didn't even have my own gear. i've got my own gear now, and love my pack. i went backpacking last wednesday thru thursday and ended up severely dehydrated by the time we were off the trail on on our way home. (nausea, vomiting, fever, fatigue.) i was out of commission for a couple days. I live in so. california so the conditions were pretty hot and dry and i sweat WAY more than the average person. 

for those of you who sweat A LOT, how do u guys stay hydrated? electrolytes, right? 

i feel like i have hit a brick wall and maybe backpacking might not be for me...which makes me really sad because i really do enjoy it. i also feel a little clueless and weary of going into a store and getting the wrong thing or the wrong advice. i know a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now...and I'm ok with that!   

thank you in advance

 

freckles.................................

First of all, don't you have to love someone that goes by the moniker "freckles"!

Secondly, I hope you won't give up too easily, backpacking is a great past time.

I believe the more experienced TrailGroove members will probably need a little more info.  Just how hot was it, how many miles were you hiking, and how much weight were you carrying? I ask as the core problem may simply be you had too much weight in your pack.  It's a common mistake new hikers make.  Another is simply not being in adequate "hiking shape", or hiking when it's just too hot.

Others TG members can perhaps help you better, but I can tell you I have never once been really concerned about electrolytes.  In my opinion, the real purpose of electrolytes replacement is to make up for when you have already become dehydrated.  Why not concentrate on being hydrated before your hike; and then during and after the hike.  I guess it sounds over simplistic, but I just stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water.  So again, I never worry about taking an electrolyte supplement.  People have been getting along for forever without these (expensive) electrolyte supplements.  Perhaps you should discuss this with your doctor, who may recommend electrolytes in your particular case.  

Others may disagree, and take supplements especially on some really challenging trips.  

 

Gary M

Edited July 31, 2015 by Gary M

[freckles]

thank you for replying! 

so...on the first day, the weather was really really nice, lower 70's cloudy. it was perfect and also abnormal for this particular location at this time of year. We hiked about 12 miles, my boyfriend was carrying most of the heavier gear. i'd say i was carrying 20 lbs at the very most. i went through about 1.5 L of my osprey hydration "thingy" (it holds 3 liters).  I felt pretty much ok just exhausted by the time we made camp. The next day it was in the 80's possibly lower 90's. we decided we would wait till afternoon to hike back because we knew it was going to be brutal and his steripen broke so we spent the majority of the morning boiling h20 to make it drinkable. The trek back was insanely miserable. 11 miles of hot, dry, and I'm just like DYING (not literally but u get what I'm saying). I'm in decent shape, but my whole family, we sweat a lot. i do cardio at the gym, or go running at least 4 days a week.  Anyways, we get back to the car...finally...right after the sun went down. i put on the clean dry change of clothes i left in the car and we headed home.  about 20 min later I'm cramping up and nauseous. 30 minutes , one gatorade, and two hitch hikers later, I'm vomiting all over the inside of my car, shivering, crying. etc. my boyfriend, who drank less water than me, and who also consumed alcohol (i don't drink) was just fine. 

hopefully these details help. thank you thank you thannnnnk youuuuu

[Gary M]

thank you for replying! 

so...on the first day, the weather was really really nice, lower 70's cloudy. it was perfect and also abnormal for this particular location at this time of year. We hiked about 12 miles, my boyfriend was carrying most of the heavier gear. i'd say i was carrying 20 lbs at the very most. i went through about 1.5 L of my osprey hydration "thingy" (it holds 3 liters).  I felt pretty much ok just exhausted by the time we made camp. The next day it was in the 80's possibly lower 90's. we decided we would wait till afternoon to hike back because we knew it was going to be brutal and his steripen broke so we spent the majority of the morning boiling h20 to make it drinkable. The trek back was insanely miserable. 11 miles of hot, dry, and I'm just like DYING (not literally but u get what I'm saying). I'm in decent shape, but my whole family, we sweat a lot. i do cardio at the gym, or go running at least 4 days a week.  Anyways, we get back to the car...finally...right after the sun went down. i put on the clean dry change of clothes i left in the car and we headed home.  about 20 min later I'm cramping up and nauseous. 30 minutes , one gatorade, and two hitch hikers later, I'm vomiting all over the inside of my car, shivering, crying. etc. my boyfriend, who drank less water than me, and who also consumed alcohol (i don't drink) was just fine. 

hopefully these details help. thank you thank you thannnnnk youuuuu

The Mayo Clinic reports the "AVERAGE" adequate intake (AI) for a healthy adult female is about 2.2 litres a day.  But this number increases greatly if you are outdoors hiking, perhaps by a factor of 2, 3, or even 4!  You did not have a heavy pack, but you still became dehydrated probably simply due to lack of fluid.  With experience you'll learn about how much you need to drink.  12 miles for an inexperienced hiker in higher temps. is a bit of a challenge, but obviously not impossible either.  Dehydration is funny, different people will react differently; thus your boyfriend was fine even though he had a heavier pack and drank less.

Hope you'll try again, drink a lot of fluid perhaps with a shorter hike on a cooler day.

Good luck, stay in touch.

Gary M

 

Edited July 31, 2015 by Gary M

[HikerJen]

Freckles, there is a simple way to tell if you're getting enough water in your system while hiking.  It's kind of gross - check your pee.  If it's clear, you're hydrating enough.  If it's dark, you need to drink more - pronto.  You want your pee to be "clear and copious".

I know not everyone agrees about electrolytes, but in hot weather I always pop a couple of Nuun tables into a 1 liter Nalgene bottle each day.  I drink that dry and then I drink another 1 liter Nalgene of water and if needed, even more.

As far a looking for advice on gear and such, this forum is a great resource.   Everyone is very nice and willing to help.  No "eye rolling" here - we've all been in your shoes at one time.  I'd also recommend checking out the REI website where there are sections about learning, what kind of gear to use, and some video tutorials, as well.

Please don't give up on backpacking.  It's a great way to see the outdoors, and it' so much fun.  Good luck! 

[Aconcagua]

As a fellow heavy sweater who spent much of the first 25 years of his life in varying states of dehydration here is what I recommend:

* Two weeks before your next outing, consume at least a gallon of water a day. Your urine color should be nearly clear and your mouth should be moist when you wake up in the morning. If they are not, drink even more.

* As soon as you wake up on the day of your hike, slam down a quart of water. Do this before breakfast to get things going inside of your body.

* During your hike drink a lot and drink often. If you become thirsty, you waited too long. If you are not urinating regularly you waited too long. Drink enough and you'll be amazed at how little the heat bothers you and how strong you feel.

** Don't neglect to eat properly as you hike as well. Finally, take sun-abating measures seriously. Wear a wide brimmed hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and high SPF clothing.

Good luck.

Edited October 2, 2015 by Aconcagua

[Dogwood]

I try to avoid in the first place getting myself into such a highly diminished electrolyte state.

BY FAR, I choose to replenish electrolytes through eating food. NO, one does not always need a fancy electrolyte powder or drink to replenish electrolytes. Since my trail food resupplies always consist of food with various nuts, seeds(chia and hemp are two good ones ), nut butters, a few fresh fruits/vegetables, dark leafy greens, fresh sprouts(grown on trail as I hike in a small hemp fabric sack), and at least one dinner containing beans, which ALL, with some consideration, can be  high in electrolytes, and in THEIR WHOLE FOOD FORM, NOT IN ISOLATED COMPOUNDS REMOVED FROM THEIR WHOLE FOOD MATRX, it factors strongly into having less need for a separate electrolyte mix.

I have carried a small Himalayan Sea Salt rock(about the size of a half dollar) I shaved off a bit into snack foods, dinners, and even water I drink/consume as I hike.

Nothing wrong with bananas either which I consume during hot weather at every town stop where I can find them!

Probably not what you were expecting, maybe not the most sexy, maybe not high sounding or as complex as many make electrolytes to be, BUT GETS THE JOB DONE.

However, when I feel the need to supplement with an electrolyte mix I use Emergen -C- Electro Mix, Nunn Active Hydration tablets, Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator( I really like this one), GU Brew, and Hammer(various mixes). I like Coco Hydro electrolyte drink or Navitas Naturals Coconut Water mixed with any of these or by itself into H20. This is my favorite electrolyte additive which I like to combine with the Vega or Emergen-C and a tsp of Chia seed. I sip it for hrs.

http://navitasnaturals.com/product/5...er-Powder.html

 

[OneEyeMan]

If you're just drinking water, I'd definitely augment with some sort of electrolytes during the day.     When you sweat, your body is eliminating electrolytes along with the water and other waste products, so you definitely need to replenish them.  Eating foods high in Potassium, Sodium and Magnesium is all well and good.  But they do take up a lot of weight and volume in your pack.  I've gotten into the habit of taking Electrolyte capsules when I mountain bike and I plan to continue doing this during my backpacking trips.  I use Hammer Endurolyte capsules and they seem to eliminate all cramping, and just make me feel better during the rides.  

Lenny